


Family Ties

by Inspector_Spinda



Category: Lupin III
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 02:21:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5439860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inspector_Spinda/pseuds/Inspector_Spinda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An old story I wrote about Lupin III's dad</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Whatever it Takes

"This guy's really making a name for himself. He's been all over the papers recently."

"Doesn't look so tough. Looks a bit like a monkey actually." a man snickered in reply.

"Heh, yeah."

"If he continues at the rate he's at we'll have him locked him here in no time."

"I doubt it."

"Didn't you see the name of the guy they've sent after him? Koichi Zenigata, guy's a real pro." then he added. "Besides, if some punk cops from America could get his dad, the son shouldn't be too hard." He walked up to the bars of a prison cell and slid a plate of food through the thin gap at the bottom.

Suddenly something shifted in the cell and the guard found his head being shoved violently against the bars. He felt a hand reach into his back pocket and pull out the copy of the daily paper he had on him. As he felt the prisoner's grip loosen around him, he pulled himself away hastily and put his hand over a fresh cut on his neck. A moment later, a small pin was tossed out of the cell in his direction.

"Still think they'll have no problem getting him?" his partner asked.

"Where the hell does he keep getting this stuff!? They should just get his execution over with before he maims anyone else."

"Hey, you want to be the one there when they take him out, be my guest, but the last time they did that, he strangled a guy with a loose thread from his uniform."

"Seriously?"

"I don't know how they managed to arrest him, but I'd bet anything it was a fluke. This guys a serious psycho and the son'll be no different. Family of gentleman thieves, my ass."

Arsène "Jean" Lupin II sunk back into the corner, as he heard the sound of someone run past his cell. Another prisoner, stubborn enough to escape, but not smart enough to have a plan.

"Shouldn't we catch him?" 

"Nah, once he makes it passed the gate the manacles'll do the rest." the first guard replied, making a buzzing sound and dragging his finger across his throat.

Jean ignored the ruckus and tore off the front page of the paper, pinning it onto the wall along with several dozen other clippings on the same subject. **"Lupin the Third Strikes Again!", "Greatest Thief of the Century!", "Master Thief Steals Priceless Crown."**

Jean had been following the workings of the man masquerading as his son ever since the first headline had appeared in the papers nearly two years ago. His real son, little scamp, had died years ago. Jean had witnessed his death himself. Tomorrow would be the scheduled day of his execution. It would also be the day he finally escaped the hellhole he had been in for the last 5 years. And when he did, he would take back what was his. By whatever means necessary...

...

_"Why is it that each time you and father engage in conversation you end up here?" Philip said, looking up from his reading._

_"Cause the old man's a damned fool."_

_"He doesn't like it when you talk like that." he muttered._

_"Screw what he thinks!"_

_"Can't at least attempt to reconcile?"_

_"And why should I bend over? I didn't do anything wrong!"_

_"Well..."_

_"What? What are you going to say? That I killed someone?" he shouted. "Well they had it coming! And you of all people should know! Aren't you sick of them treating you like crap all the time?"_

_"Yes, but maybe what you did was too much."_

_Arsène growled and pulled down Philip's socks to reveal the bruises on his ankles. "Then what do you call that?" he shouted. "I did it for you, ya know so stop being so ungrateful!"_

_"Arsène..."_

_"The old man's too damn soft. He's so self-righteous sometimes it makes me sick! When I'm half his age I'll be a better Lupin then he ever was. Do you know why? Cause I'm not afraid to do what I have to! Cause I'm not weak!"_

_Philip stared at his brother and nodded slowly. Arsène Lupin II was one of the toughest people he knew. But on more than one occasion, Philip founded himself worried for his brother. Since their mother's death, Arsène had become increasingly distant, not just from their father, but from him as well. He was an excellent fighter, but too cocky and stubborn for his own good. He feared one day Arsène would get into a fight with an enemy he couldn't defeat._

_"Arsène?" he mumbled, putting his book down on the bed stand._

_"Um?" he grunted, cocking his head sideways towards Philip. "What is it?"_

_"I think you should apologize to father anyways."_

_Arsène grunted and glared at Philip. "Why?" he said, nonchalantly. "In a few years he won't matter, I'll be out of here and I'll take you with me. We'll go back to Paris and get our own place. Then we'll find the wench who killed mom and make her play." Suddenly, the dark glint in his eyes vanished, replaced with a light-hearted, child-like smile. He leapt up onto a chair and waved his arms around excitedly. "We'll be the greatest team ever! Arsène and Philip, the unstoppable thief duo!"_

_He reached into his mouth and pulled something out. "And check out what I found today!" he cried, opening his hand to reveal a perfect pink diamond. "The old man took most of my stuff, but didn't think to look in my mouth. I swiped it right off some hag's ring."_

_He got up and put the diamond down on the bed. "Dumb bitch didn't even know what hit her, if you know what I mean." Arsène grinned, bonking himself on the head and sticking out his tongue._

_"Is it genuine?" Philip asked, picking up the stone and examining it. He couldn't help, but be impressed._

_"Think so. I tried stomping on it and it didn't break so it should be right?" Philip nodded, still in awe. "Wanna help me collect more goodies tomorrow?"_

...

"Hey wake up!" a voice shouted.

"Do you mind?! Trying to sleep here!"

"You'll have plenty of time to sleep when you're in Hell!" Jean crawled up off the ground. There was a small cot in his cell, but a small crack in the ceiling prevented him from enjoying it whenever it was raining.

"Fine, fine." he said, stretching. "Let's just get this over with." He heard the door to his cell slide open. Moments later, he found himself being pinned up against the wall by a well muscled guard.

Jean gritted his teeth and hissed in annoyance. There was nothing more he hated then being pushed around. He made a mental note of the man's face so that he could make sure to kill him in particular before he escaped. The man slipped a straitjacket onto him and dragged him outside the cell where the warden was waiting.

"Bring him to the firing range. I want this finished quickly. Through frankly, that's the last thing you deserve, Arsène."

Jean's face turned red with rage. "Don't you dare call me by my filthy father's name! I am Jean, Jean Lupin you son of a bitch! Never compare me to my father!"

He broke free of the guard's grip and lunged at the warden who whipped out a dagger and pointed it at Jean's throat. "Killed by your own blade, Ryusei. Fitting, but unfortunately, I still have orders from the higher ups." he said, sounding slightly disappointed.

The guard grabbed the still fuming thief and lead him down a flight of stairs, giving him a rough shove every once in a while to force him to walk faster.

At the end of the steps was a door leading to the firing range, which was no more than a medium sized ditch with heavily armed marksmen stationed on a platform several meters from the bottom.

The guard shoved him into the room and locked the door behind him. Jean could easily pick the lock and escape, but he would be shot full of holes before he opened the door. Arsène looked up at the platform where three guards stood at about equal distance from each other, each with a rifle aimed at him.

"I'd say it's been a pleasure Arsène, but it hasn't." the warden said, mockingly. "Any last words?"

"Shut your damn mouth." Jean seethed, just as all three men fired their rifles. He ducked out of the way of the approaching bullets just enough so that they grazed the surface of his straitjacket, sending deep tears through the fabric and allowing him to break free.

The men fired at him repeatedly, but Jean was faster than he looked and easily dodged every shot. He smiled, feeling the rush of adrenalin rush through his body for the first time in years. As soon as he felt the guards lower their weapons to reload, he ran straight up the wall and kicked the guard at the center in the face. He snatched the second guard's rifle out of his hands as soon as he finished reloading and proceeded to shooting him and the remaining guard in the face.

"See you in Hell." He grinned before shooting the warden between the eyes.

"Over here!" a voice shouted. The rest of the guards had heard the gun shots. Jean had maybe a few seconds before he was surrounded. He rushed to the body of the dead warden and felt around till he found his dagger.

"Ryusei, old friend." he grinned, clutching the handle of the dagger and slicing off his manacle. "How I've missed you."

"Should've let them kill you." a voice said. Jean looked up, it was the guard from earlier. "Now I'm going to make you suffer a much more painful death."

"Oh, hello." Jean said with a hint of malice in his tone. "I have something special for you."

The guard growled and rushed him. Before he could lay a hand on him, Jean raised the dagger and waved it through the air before sliding it back into its sheath. The blade clicked as it was sheathed and the guard froze, suddenly doubling over in pain just as blood gushed out of several open cuts through his body. He collapsed, dead and lay on the ground with this fallen co-workers.

Just then, a dozen or so more guards entered the room and Jean shoved the dead guard in their direction, stunning the group of a few seconds and giving him just enough time to run past them, killing several more as he made his escape.


	2. Shot Through the Heart

"Careful!" Lupin cried. "You take one step on that platform and the alarms go off."

"So what's the plan?" Jigen asked, removing his gas mask. They had knocked out most of the guards standing outside, but the gas they used wasn't very strong. If they didn't hurry they would be caught as soon as they woke up.

Lupin grinned and pulled out a fishing pole. "Watch and learn!"

He dangled the end of the line just above the glass case. There was a magnet and razor attached to the end of the line. The magnet acted as a weight, holding the line's place on the case as the razor sliced a hole through the glass.

Lupin pulled back on the line and removed the razor, replacing it with a large fishing hook. He tossed the line which latched onto the golden dragon statue inside the glass case.

"Come to Papa!" he grinned, reeling the line in. Suddenly, there was a gunshot and the fishing pole snapped in two, dropping the statue on the platform and setting of the alarm.

"Son of a bitch!" Jigen cried, reacting instantly. He whipped out his magnum just as a second bullet flew past his face and hit Lupin in the chest. The thief collapsed, groaning in pain, and then was still.

Jigen fired several shots in the direction of the intruder who dodged and spun out of the way, launching a kick that knocked the gunman off his feet. He kicked Jigen's gun out of his hand, then pointed his own weapon at the gunman's forehead.

"Jigen?" the man said, lowering his automatic. His face was covered by a veil, but there was something familiar about his voice.

Suddenly the doors burst open. The man flinched and cursed quietly under his breath before grabbing the statue.

"Freeze!" Zenigata shouted, firing a shot at the man who evaded the Inspector's attack and leapt out the window.

Zenigata looked at Jigen who had picked up Lupin and was doing his best to drag the thief out of harm's way. Several officers walking in at that moment and pointed their weapons at the gunman and his partner.

"Let 'em go." Zenigata commanded, gesturing to the officers to lower their guns. "Looks like they both have bigger problems to deal with."

**...**

_"Can't we figure this out?"_

_"There's nothing to figure out. The Empire has collapsed and now my enemies are out for all of us. I trust you to keep up with me, but the boy will only slow us down. And worse, if the enemy gets a hold of him, he'll be a hostage they can use against me."_

_"They won't, I'll make sure of that."_

_"Yuki. If they wanted to they'll find a way. The only way to protect him..." Lupin flinched as he heard the sound of his father's gun click through his bedroom door._

_"Ok." his mother whispered. "But I want to do it." His mother entered Lupin's room with a dark look in her eyes. She got to her knees and caressed her son's face in her hands, her eyes filled with tears._

_"Mommy, why are you crying?" Lupin said gently. "Please don't cry." Yukiko kissed his forehead and slipped an object into his hands._

_"Be brave now my little Arsène. Can you do that for me?" Lupin nodded._

_Arsène was a name his mother called him whenever his father wasn't around. It was something shared between the two of them. His mother had told him it was the name his grandfather, Lupin's father's father. Lupin had never met his grandfather and neither of his parents ever seemed to talk about him. Once when he had asked his father what he was like, he had smacked him across the face. It was the first time his father raised a hand to him. He had apologized for it afterwards, but Lupin had never seen his father so angry._

_Lupin looked at the object his mother had handed him. "What-" he started, but was interrupted by his father who entered the room at that moment. Yukiko shoved the object into Lupin's pocket and lifted him up, off the bed._

_"Time to go." his father announced._

_"Where are we going?" His father didn't respond._

_Lupin followed his parents outside. Their mansion had burned down two weeks ago and they had been on the run ever since. Each night they would move to a different location. Their latest hideout was a small cabin at the edge of a cliff where a gorgeous waterfall poured down into a river of deadly rapids. Lupin gazed down into the river and gulped, just as he feel the barrel of a gun being point at the back of his head._

_BANG!_

_Suddenly he was falling off the edge of the cliff with nothing to catch him. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Nothing could be heard over the sound of the wind and water. Just then he remembered the object his mother had given him. He took it out from his pocket and put his lips to it. Forcing out every last drop of oxygen in his lungs._

_He hit the water with an enormous splash. But instead of sinking to the bottom, he floated with his head just above the surface. He clung on tightly to the beach ball, the only thing preventing him from drowning in the viscous torrent. What the gun had fired was just a blank, noise without any bullet, he wasn't dead, yet. The strong current was pulling him downstream with incredible speed. Before he realized what was happening, his head slammed against a rock and he fell into unconsciousness._

* * *

Jigen dragged Lupin back to their hideout and plopped him down on the couch. He removed the thief's jacket and shirt to examine the wound. Luckily, the bullet hadn't hit as close to the heart as he had originally suspected.

"If I call a doctor whoever it was that shot him would find this place in no time." he groaned and got a bottle of beer from the kitchen. He opened it and poured a small amount onto a paper towel as used it to wipe the area around the wound.

Once it was cleaned, he washed his hands and sterilized a pair of tongs with the remainder of the bottle. Being an expert marksman meant Jigen had naturally steady hands, but performing surgery on a guy was not the same as firing a gun. He managed to remove the bullet without expanding the wound, but the blood Lupin had already lost was nothing to laugh at.

He went to the bathroom to wash the blood off his hands when suddenly he heard a crash. He rushed back into the room to see the intruder standing over the unconscious thief with a knife in hand. This time around through he didn't wear a mask and Jigen could clearly make out his face.

"Jean..."

"Jigen." the man said; lower his knife and turning to face him. "It's been a while. I was just taking care of some unfinished business. This is a family matter, none of your concern."

"You were gone so long, I assumed they killed you." Jigen said quietly.

"Don't be stupid, boy. You know me better than that."

"Not well enough looks like." he said, glancing at the blade in his former employer's hand. "So where've you been this whole time?" he asked.

"Hell. But I came back to get rid of this fake." he replied, gesturing to Lupin.

"So he's not your real son?"

"Nah. I had a kid, but he died years ago." He smiled and offered the knife to Jigen. "Now that you know he's been lying to ya, you want the honors?"

"No offense Boss, I didn't join up with him 'cause I thought he was related to you." Jigen said, "It doesn't matter to me whether he's a real Lupin or not. He's better to work with than anyone else."

Jean frowned. "I see." he murmured, slipping his knife back into his sleeve. "Well then as a favor to you, for old time's sake, I give the kid a chance. We'll do it the Osaka way."

"When?"

"In a week. On top of the Pirelli Tower." Jean announced. "Tell the boy to come alone. If I see you there-" He whipped out his knife and made a cutting motion, stepping out the way as the ceiling light collapsed. "I'll kill you."

**...**

_"Miss." Jigen whispered, placing a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. "Yukiko."_

_"He can't be gone Jigen." she smiled, sadly. "Philip was lying."_

_"You said they were brothers." Jigen reminder her._

_"He must have made a mistake then." Yukiko insisted. "Because there's no way he could be dead."_

_"I'm so sorry-"_

_"And I'm going to find him."_

_"Yukiko-"_

_"Can I count on you to come with me?" she asked. She stared at him, her eyes cold and empty._

_Jigen stared at her for a long moment. "I'll go." he said finally. "You stay here."_

_Yukiko opened her mouth, about to protest when he added, "Not for your sake, for his, and the men. You're the only one he would ever trust to take the reins of the organization."_

_Yukiko nodded._

_"If I find him, I'll bring him back._ __And if I don't,_ " Jigen said, pulling his hat down over his eyes. "then this is goodbye."_

**...**

"Jigen." The gunman looked up at the thief who was lying on the couch recovering from his injuries.

"You're burning the steak."

"Ah!" Jigen cried as he hastily turned off the stove and tried to beat the smoke away with a towel.

"So what's got you so distracted?" he asked.

"That guy back at the museum-"

"Have you figured out who it is yet?" Lupin muttered. "I think I know. It's probably my dad. This isn't the first time he's tried to kill me, if you can believe it."

"Do you know why?"

"Nope." Lupin sighed, lying back down on the couch. "Not a clue." Then he added, "Through he and grandpa didn't really have the best relationship. Grandpa, Lupin the First, was the first thief in our family. Except for him it was about the challenge. But my dad, he didn't share grandpa's ideals. He was just-"

"A criminal?"

"He spent years building his Empire. After it fell, he was on the run. I was just a kid at the time so he tried to kill me so I wouldn't slow him down. My mother was the one who saved my life."

"He came here while you were unconscious." Jigen reported. "He wants a duel. Your Walther against his knife. Lupin, he's serious." the gunman continued. "No matter what ends up happening, in a week's time one of you will be dead."


	3. What is Reality?

Jigen stood at the base of Pirelli Tower where he could see Lupin and his father standing on opposite ends, weapons in hand. The strong winds and ever changing meant shooting straight would be no easy task. Even through, ordinarily, a knife would be no match for a gun, all bets were off if the bullets wouldn't hit what they where intended to.

"What are you doing here?" a voice growled.

Jigen whirled around, ready to face any attackers. "Inspector..." he murmured. Zenigata stood silent several feet away, he was alone, which was usual. The Inspector always had a boat load of officers at his disposal. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if it wasn't some kind of elaborate trick.

"Put that thing away." Zenigata said, "I'm here alone. I didn't come here to arrest Lupin. I came for myself. But what's really surprising is finding you down _here_." He raised a hand and pointed to the top of the building. "When you should be up _there_."

"Why do you care?"

The Inspector was silent for a moment. "I made a vow to arrest Lupin. Whether it's today, or tomorrow, or the next day. And until then, I can't have him die on me." he said finally. "As his friend I expected you to be helping him. But if you're just going to say down here." Zenigata pulled out a pair of handcuffs and turned to Jigen, but the gunman had already disappeared.

* * *

"I'll be honest," Jean began, lashing out at Lupin with his dagger. "This really has nothing to do with you. It's between me, and your grandfather."

"Well then I have good news for you." Lupin cried, dodging his blows. "Grandpa's been dead for years. You've already won by outliving him."

Jean ceased his attack and laughed. "You don't get it at all. Listen up, boy. This isn't about me wanting to kill the old man. No, I wanted him to live, to experience what a real Lupin is like."

"Back then, when the Empire fell, that was Grandpa's doing wasn't it?"

"Partly, yes." Jean admitted. "He assisted my rivals in my downfall. He's a coward who can't do anything, but shy away from a fight."

"Avoid conflict and being a coward aren't the same thing."

Jean snorted, "He said that same thing to me once. You two sound so alike." He lunged at him again and shouted, "It makes me sick!" He brought his dagger down, aiming at Lupin's shoulder. The thief managed to catch the blow and gritted his teeth, using all this strength to prevent the blade from cutting his neck.

"Grandpa was trying to take me from you back then. That's what really happened right? You tried to kill me to keep me away from him." He slipped out from under the knife, narrowly avoiding being sliced. The tip of the blade, grazed his cheek, causing a drop of blood to trickle down his face.

"That's right." Jean grunted. "He took what should have been mine. And frankly, I find that insulting." He lunged again, but this Lupin leapt into the air and landed a swift kick to his face. He whipped out his Walther and pointed it at Jean's head.

"Well, then what are you waiting for?" Jean asked. "Or have you gone soft like you're grandfather?"

"No, I just don't really wanna kill family."

"Too bad." Jean growled. "'Cause we're nothing alike." He lifted his knife and stabbed it into Lupin's side. He tore it out roughly and Lupin fell to his knees, his hands pressed against his wound.

Jean lifted the knife high above his head. Lupin grimaced and closed his eyes. This would be the end, not some last stand with Zenigata or some master assassin, but at the hands of his own father. But instead of having a knife spear through his skull, he heard a lone gunshot.

Lupin looked up. His father loomed over him, an expression of shock on his face as he stumbled over the side of the building and fell to his death.

**...**

_"Get in there!" the officer shouted, shoving Jean roughly into the back of the armored truck._

_"When I get out of here, I'm going to kick your fuckin' teeth in!" Jean shouted as he leapt onto the officer who immediately pulled out a tazer and jabbed him in the stomach._

_"If you try picking your way out of that jacket, you'll blow into a million little bits._ _The cops paid us good money for us to hand you over to 'em and now they'll be sending you up the river_ _." he sneered as he slammed the door shut._

_Jean groaned and gritted his teeth, slammed his body against the door in a fruitless attempt to break it open._

_"It's been a while." a familiar voice said. Jean turned around._ _Sitting on one of the benches on the inside of the truck was a man wearing a police uniform._

_"Philip!" Jean cried, immediately recognizing the man. "Get me outta this thing and we'll teach these guys a lesson like old times."_

_"I sorry." Philip whispered. "Father forbade me from doing so. They're sending you to a prison faculty. He thinks you'll be better off there. I told Yukiko they'd killed you. She's heartbroken, but she'll get over it."_ _Jean's eyes widened in horror._

_"I just came here to tell you that father's dead. But your son, Arsène is still alive."_

_"No. Shut up." Jean growled, his voice dangerous quiet. "Don't call him that."_

_"Father and I've taking care of his for these past few years. Father didn't ask me to tell you that, I just thought you deserved to know." he finished solemnly.  
_

_"How the hell could you!?" Jean shouted. "I thought we were partners! How could you take his side over mine!?"_

_Suddenly the vehicle came to a halt and Philip got up. "I'm sorry. I hope you can managed to forgive me one day." he whispered again, before stepping down from the truck. "Goodbye Arsène."_

_"SHUT UP!" Jean roared. "I hate that name! I hate father! I'm glad he's dead! I hope he went to hell for letting mum die!" Two muscular officers got out from the front of the truck and pinned him down, but Jean kept screaming._

_"I'll kill you! You hear me!? No one double crosses me and lives!" he shouted as the officers inserted a needle into his thigh._ _He felt his heartbeat begin to slow as he fought the urge to close his eyes. "Why would you betray me, brother?"_

_**...** _

"I'm sorry I had to do that." Jigen said, lowering his gun. "But if I hadn't he would've killed you."

"Yeah, I know." Lupin replied. "Thanks." Jigen nodded.

"You know, in a way he was right. I'm not like him, but I'm not exactly grandpa either. So maybe I'm not a true Lupin after all."

"Maybe that's for the best."

Lupin chuckled, "Heh, yeah maybe."


	4. True Lupin

Philip Lupin had always loved to watch the sun rise. A new day with the promise of new adventure and new discoveries. 'Twas one of the many great joys of life and one of the things that always filled him with pleasure, no matter how bad a mood he had been in the day before. Even better was the fact that several valuable items had recently come into his possession.

He jiggled his key in the lock of the apartment. The door had a plaque with the name faded, "Ciel Lance Barum." which, if you rearranged the letters a bit would spell Maurice LeBlanc. The novelist had long passed, leaving behind his ideas in the form of notes and manuscripts strewn all throughout the apartment. Philip wasn't much of a cleaner, but he still managed to maintain some degree of order in what would otherwise be a scattered mess of discarded papers.

He sipped his coffee and glanced out the window. Below him were the streets of old Paris, one of the last undeveloped areas of the city which had existed since well before his time. Through he suspected it wouldn't for much longer. The city was rapidly changing around him. By the time he was ready to retire, he suspected, all the places familiar to him would be long gone.

He saw a paper boy on his bicycle peddle down on the street below him. "Throw it up here boy!" he cried. "No need to come all the way 'round."

The boy stopped peddling and tossed a paper through his window. "Here you are Mr. Barum, sir!"

"Much obliged." he replied as he watched the boy ride off.

He unfolded the paper and took another sip, stopping abruptly as soon as he saw the headline: **"Lupin II, Killed."**

**...**

_"Ars _ène_..."_

_"So? Are you coming with me or not?"_

_"I can't-"_

_"Tch, crawl back to Daddy then! Who needs yah?"_

_"Maybe if you apologized-"_

_"Don't you get it!?" he roared. "I'm through with the old man and his damned ideals. I'm sick of everyone in his town treating me like crap! I'm sick of hidding! The guys who killed mom are still out there! Doesn't that bother you at all?"_

_"They won't bother us anymore. We haven't heard anything from them all these years."_

_"Well maybe that's the problem! They killed mom and got away with it! They have to learn that they can't mess with a Lupin without dealing with the consequences!"_

_"Do you know where to find them?"_

_"A small country in Eastern Europe surrounded by mountains. I think mom called it Cagliostro." He sighed, then added. "If you don't want to come, you don't have to._ _It doesn't matter. Just forget I asked."_

_"If you leave, I won't be your partner."_

__Ars _ène__ smiled, "I guess it just wasn't meant to be then." He turned and started trudging up the hill, away from the house they had grown up in. Away from everything he knew._

_"If you leave, I'll never forgive you!" Philip shouted. "ARSÉNE!"_

_He watched as this brother raised a hand to wave at him and then disappeared beyond the horizon without looking back._

**...**

"Oh dear." Philip muttered as he noticed he had tilted his cup slightly, spilling coffee onto the carpet. "Better get that cleaned quickly."

He picked up a rag that hung from a nail on the wall and tried to wipe the coffee stains off the carpet. The rag absorbed most of the liquid, but a large black coffee stain still suck to the carpeting.

"It doesn't look like it's going to come out. Perhaps if I had it washed..." He shook his head, "But even then it would leave a mark. Pity, that rug is one of a kind." He finished the rest of his drink, and then set the empty coffee mug down on the desk. "I suppose there's nothing I can do now. What's done is done." He glanced at the paper again; Italy.

Maybe it was about time he payed his nephew a visit...


End file.
